{"product_id":"2684087","title":"Michael Warren - Mariocki [CD]","description":"\u003cp\u003eMichael Warren, formerly\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eZiggy Heroe, protagonist in YBA artist Harland Miller's rite of passage novel Slow Down Arthur, Stick To Thirty presents Mariocki, the follow up to 2021's enigmatic Untold Tales of Ziggy Heroe, his balancing act between being both a character in fiction and an actual person remaining undisturbed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNamed after an obscure and possibly fictitious character from '60s cult spy TV show \u003ci\u003eMan In A Suitcase\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMariocki\u003c\/i\u003e extends Warren's eclectic metier of songcraft and the idiosyncrasy of his musical influences. The rehabilitation of lounge is well underway but Warren dives far deeper, into a world where \u003cstrong\u003eAndy Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e is king, \u003cstrong\u003eJulie Andrews\u003c\/strong\u003e respected, \u003cstrong\u003eCarmen McCrae\u003c\/strong\u003e adored and \u003cstrong\u003eDick van Dyke\u003c\/strong\u003e sits, naturally, alongside \u003cstrong\u003eDavid Bowie\u003c\/strong\u003e. In which canonical rock references are rarely spotted yet, when they are, turn out to be \u003cstrong\u003eDeep Purple\u003c\/strong\u003e. Welcome to a cornucopia of apparent contradictions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album's darkest cut, the neo-Brechtian and \u003ci\u003eMan Who Sold the World\u003c\/i\u003e influenced tale of murderous northern yobbery 'What Casper Did', opens proceedings only to be chased away by \u003cstrong\u003eEdwin Astley\u003c\/strong\u003e's charmingly civilised tea room dance, 'You're The One For Me', and the Astley influenced courtly glances of 'Come, Guinevere', replete with \u003cstrong\u003eHerb Alpert\u003c\/strong\u003e styled flugelhorn solo. Warren evokes a languid yet dissonant emotional stasis in Alex North and Sammy Cahn's late '50s film title track 'The Long Hot Summer' and sources a lamenting love match in a woodwind rich, brooding nocturne version of \u003cstrong\u003eCarmen McCrae\u003c\/strong\u003e's 1967 torch song, 'This Year'. The quizzically \u003cstrong\u003eKinks\u003c\/strong\u003e guided gentle lament of 'Dust' swaps moods with the relaxing-cat stretch of 'Reba', channelling arch-crooner \u003cstrong\u003eAndy Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e and toying with the gentler side of \u003cstrong\u003eBobby Vee\u003c\/strong\u003e. Written in legendary '80s York nightclub The Blue Shed, the carefree, earworm-crazy, \u003cstrong\u003evan Dyke\u003c\/strong\u003e tribute that is 'Didja?' delights in an unashamed collision between \u003ci\u003eMary Poppins\u003c\/i\u003e and Deram period \u003cstrong\u003eBowie\u003c\/strong\u003e. Slipping into espionage territory title track 'Mariocki' treads a wary, \u003cstrong\u003eJohnny Cash\u003c\/strong\u003e informed, path of hyper-dramatic spy paranoia, contrasting with the brass heavy, action sequence bravado of uber-'60s 'The Norman Way Theme'. Unlikeliest of all, sitting alongside a stripped down, de-glammed, reading of the Thin White one's 'Lady Grinning Soul' is a non-bombastic, surprisingly reflective, take on \u003cstrong\u003eDeep Purple\u003c\/strong\u003e's classic rock ballad 'Soldier of Fortune'.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMariocki, led by Michael Warren's expressive baritone voice, features the talents of producer \u003cstrong\u003eKeiron Phelan\u003c\/strong\u003e (Peace Signs, State River Widening) and arranger \u003cstrong\u003eJames Stringer\u003c\/strong\u003e (Peace Signs, Hilbert Space) with indie luminaries \u003cstrong\u003eIan Button\u003c\/strong\u003e (Papernut Cambridge, ex-Death In Vegas) and \u003cstrong\u003eGiles Barrett\u003c\/strong\u003e (The New Starts, Moebius Delta ).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith cover art by \u003cstrong\u003eLinda Ingham Power\u003c\/strong\u003e, containing multiple cognoscenti ciphers to 1960's British spy television.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chalkys.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54419479691649,"sku":"2684087","price":14.48,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0056\/8043\/1219\/files\/0619091684480.jpg?v=1750562403","url":"https:\/\/chalkys.com\/products\/2684087","provider":"Chalkys.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}